Year: 2014

Over the past 2.5 years, the SALT™ Blog has published 1,870 posts—and I edited almost every one of them. (Hey, a guy needs to take a vacation or paternity leave every now and again.) Today, I get the privilege of writing post number 1,871.

Here at SALT™, we’re always looking for new ways to boost your money knowledge. Our latest? A brand new online community for students and alums just like you. We call it SALT Central.

SALT Central puts you in touch with our experts and your peers, giving you a place to talk about money, student loans, scholarships, and a bunch of other topics important to you. Here are just a few things you can do there.…

I’ve been repaying my student loans for about 6 months now, and so far, it’s been going smoothly. Well, as smoothly as repaying a mountain of debt can go, I suppose.

Although there have been times when things were tight, I’ve successfully managed to make my payments on time every month. That’s not because I have a huge disposable income, or because I hit the lottery recently.

The only reason that I’m able to stay on top of my debt is because I plan ahead. If you just entered repayment, you’ll want to adopt this habit as well. Here’s how to do it.…

Many of us struggle to find the perfect career. We jump from job to job, getting frustrated at our inability to find a job to take care of us for the rest of our lives. It wasn’t like this for our parents, right?

You probably remember your mom and dad heading out to work every day, to the same company, year after year—and they seemed to like it! After all, they’ll likely push you toward finding similar stability. Well, here’s a newsflash: The world of work has changed. Your career will not look like your parents’ did. And it’s totally OK! Here’s why.…

Folks, we’re officially hitting crunch time for holiday shopping. If you’re struggling with those final hard-to-find items on your family’s wishlist, you’re likely turning to the deep recesses of the Internet to make their dreams comes true. (Obscure Simpsons reference T-shirt, here I come!)

In addition to your purchase, you probably look for a few other things when deciding where to buy: cheap prices, free shipping, and quick delivery. However, those shouldn’t be your only considerations. …

I want to start this by saying I’m not planning on asking for a raise any time soon, so don’t worry, Warren. (FYI, that’s my boss.)

But, as most people are, I’m planning to ask for a raise eventually. You may be thinking about this future as well, as 2014 comes to an end. After speaking to some people whose opinions I value dearly—my coworkers, people I look up to in my industry, and my mom—I’ve learned that the time to start planning to ask for a raise isn’t when you want a raise. It’s right after you got the first one (or in my case right after you get hired).

I’m a big fan of change. That being said, when I try to change too many things at once, I get overwhelmed and start to flounder. Like many people around this time of year, I start planning for too many “resolutions” and often don’t follow through on any of them.

Helping people understand student loans is our job at SALT™, and few are better at it than Betsy Mayotte—the director of regulatory compliance for American Student Assistance® (our parent company). We told borrowers to “Just Ask” her questions, so check out her answers below (as well as her cat—because if Piglet can’t make student loans better, what can?).…

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